Today, December 4th, 2025, marks the 75th anniversary of Captain Thomas J. Hudner Jr's valiant attempt to rescue Ensign Jesse L. Brown in the Chosin Reservoir.![]()
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On December 4, 1950, Hudner, a native of Fall River, Massachusetts, and Brown, one of the first African-American U.S. naval aviators, were part of a flight of F4U Corsair fighter planes tasked with supporting U.S. Marine ground forces in Korea. During their mission, Ensign Brown's aircraft was struck by small arms fire, forcing him to crash-land in the Chosin Reservoir.![]()
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Shortly after, Captain Hudner intentionally crash landed his own airplane in the reservoir and rushed to Brown's crash site to try and rescue him. Upon arriving at the now burning wreck, he found that Brown's legs were pinned in the cockpit. A rescue helicopter arrived shortly after and Hudner, accompanied by the pilot, tried for 45 minutes to free Brown to no avail. ![]()
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Ensign Brown passed away shortly after from blood loss and exposure to extreme cold, and Hudner was forced to leave his body and evacuate by helicopter.![]()
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Captain Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor on April 13th, 1951, for his actions and met Brown's widow, Daisy, during the ceremony. The two would stay in contact for the next 50 years.![]()
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The book "Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Brotherhood and Sacrifice " by Adam Makos details the entire ordeal, with a film adaptation which premiered in 2022.![]()
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Today, we remember and honor Captain Hudner and Ensign Brown for their valiant service and sacrifices made in the pursuit of freedom.
The answer to the “What is it? Wednesday” question from November 26th is the hood ornament on our 1942 Buick! This car was one of the last produced at Buick's plant in Flint, Michigan in 1942. Buick was one of many companies who, after the United States entered WWII, stopped producing civilian goods and began the production of war goods.![]()
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Stay tuned for the next “What is it? Wednesday” question tomorrow, December 3rd at 10:00 am EST!![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #whatisitwednesday
Their gift to us was freedom. On this Giving Tuesday, your gift ensures their stories are never forgotten.![]()
Give today: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/annualfund2025/![]()
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At the American Heritage Museum, every field trip, veteran visit, and living-history weekend helps a new generation understand that freedom has a real weight—and a real cost. Your Giving Tuesday donation to our 2025–2026 Annual Fund keeps the doors open, the engines running, and the stories of service and sacrifice alive.![]()
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Their gift to us was freedom. Your gift TODAY preserves their history.![]()
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Make your Giving Tuesday gift now: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/annualfund2025/![]()
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#GivingTuesday #AmericanHeritageMuseum #SupportHistory #NeverForget #veterans #historymuseum
Meet the German Sd.Kfz 251!![]()
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#AmericanHeritageMuseum #visitma #militaryhistory #historymuseum #WWII #ww2 #tworldwarii #worldwar2 #army #tanks #worldoftanks #tanknerd #germanarmor #sdkfz #halftrack
Need the right size gift for someone tough to buy for? Try a Size M4! Give the gift of Tanks this season with a World War II Tank Experience Gift Certificate at the American Heritage Museum! Give someone a ride aboard history or let them take the controls and learn how to drive our M4 Sherman or M24 Chaffee! Get 10% off when you book with the promo code GIVETANKS25 until December 8th! ![]()
WWII Tank Experience Gift Certificates at the American Heritage Museum
www.americanheritagemuseum.org
Give the gift of history that is sure to be 50 tons of fun! World War II Tank Ride & Driving Program Gift Certificates are the perfect gift for the history lover in your life!
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Speaker Series: WWII European Tour
October 25, 2024 @ 2:00 pm, ending 3:30 pm
$10 – $23
Join us at the American Heritage Museum for a compelling talk by Vernon Chandler on his epic journey through Europe as he traces the footsteps of his first cousin; Pvt. Kenneth Miller, who was killed in Germany on October 18, 1944. He uncovered much historical information on Kenneth and his unit, the 743rd Tank Battalion and with a lot of research was able to locate the place the tank-on-tank battle occurred which took his life in Würselen, Germany. He was only 19 years old. His remains were never recovered and returned home despite the best efforts of his mom, Annie Miller.
Vern and his son were so deeply moved by Kenneth’s and his mom Annie’s WWII story, as well as the stories of all who served and sacrificed in World War II, that they planned and took a two-week World War II, 1800-mile driving tour of Europe in September of 2022. This tour included visits to 6 ABMC cemeteries and many historic WWII sites from Paris, France to Normandy, France to Belgium to The Netherlands to Luxembourg to Germany and finally to Austria.
Vern has prepared, a multimedia historical presentation including pictures and videos in order to share their experiences with as many as possible. Vern feels their once in a lifetime experiences are only meaningful if they share them with others.
